Lemon Tart

This is my all time favourite lemon dessert. It comes from Galton Blackiston, a Norfolk chef with a fantastic hotel/restaurant.  Do not be put off by the number of eggs involved. It is worth it. Just cut down on your egg intake for the rest of the week. The photo below is how it should look when finished. Not quite managed this look yet but worth trying again and again...until we can produce a master chef like version...

Foodstuff you will need: 

For the sweet pastry (makes double the quantity you need)

310g plain flour

150g caster sugar

salt

175g unsalted butter

3 egg yolks

few drops of vanilla essence

3 tablespoons of water

Lemon Filling

2 egg yolks beaten for sealing pastry case

7 eggs

275g caster sugar

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 4 lemons

22ml double cream

Equipment:

25cm fluted flan tin (with removable base)

Sieve

Large bowl

Oven

Small bowl

Whisk for beating or wooden spoon

Flat surface big enough for rolling pastry on

Cling film

Baking beans/Rice

Baking paper/Greaseproof paper

Pastry brush

Jug

Baking tray

How to throw it together

Sweet Pastry

Sift together the flour sugar and salt into a large bowl

Add the butter in small cubes and using your fingertips, combine to produce a fine breadcrumb like mixture.

Beat the eggs yolks together and add the vanilla essence

Drizzle this into the flour mixture, followed by the water and gently bring it all together to produce a soft dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide pastry into 2 and wrap individually in cling film (glad wrap for Aussies!)

Place in fridge for at least 1 hour or freeze and use later.

You need one of the portions for the lemon tart but can save the rest for another day.

Preheat the oven to 180C

Take pastry out of the fridge and bring to room temperature.

Line the tin with the pastry.

This can be quite tricky but as a picture paints a thousand words, try this..

Once the pastry is in the tin, cover with baking paper over the top and put in baking beans or rice.

Place in preheated oven and bake blind until the pastry starts to brown around the edges

Remove from the oven, carefully lift out the baking paper and beans/rice and return to the oven.

One the base starts to colour, remove from the oven and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg yolks to seal any cracks.

Return to the oven and bake until the yolk mixture is cooked. Repeat this process twice more to ensure that the pastry case is absolutely sealed. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Turn down oven to 140C

Filling

Gently whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl without creating too many bubbles or forth.

Add the lemon juice and the double cream and pass the liquid through a sieve into a jug.

Skim off any froth and finally stir in the lemon zest

Place the warm pastry base onto a baking tray and put it into the oven

Pour the lemon mixture into the pastry case there as it is hard to avoid spilling it if you move it after it has been poured.

Cook for about 50 minutes until just set although it should still wobble in the middle.

Remove from the oven and cool. Only cut to eat when cool.

Do not store in the fridge.  Store in dark cool place in airtight container.